The Glass factory.           
                                        
                                        
                                      
                                  
                                  
                                          
 Several  Centuries  After  It  Had  Last 
 Belonged To  Us, We Went On An Outing To 
 The Glass Factory That Bore  Our  Family 
 Name.  It Had  Changed Owners Many Times 
 Since  Our  Ancestors  Death,  And  Then 
 Stood   Abandoned  For   A  Long  While. 
 Finally,  The  Natural  End  Station For 
 The Buildings  That Survive:  A  Museum, 
 And A Gift Shop.                         
                                          
 There'S  A  Long  Time  Since  My Family 
 Made  Anything.  By  Many, We  Would  Be 
 Considered Poor.                         
                                          
 There Are  Two  Main  Factory Buildings, 
 Domed Things Of Several  Floors, Made In 
 Yellow Brick. Large  But Narrow Windows, 
 Reminescent     Of    Some    Cathedral. 
 Custom-Made Glass,  Of Course, Large And 
 LeadEd, And Ashen.  A Bit Too Dark To Be 
 Practical.  On  The  Eastern   Building, 
 Some Are Shattered.                      
                                          
 The Other One Is  Publicly Open. There'S 
 A Museum, With  Wax Figures  Of My Great 
 Great  Great Grandfather, Or  Something. 
 Various  Tools (Or Replicas) Laid Out On 
 Tables, With  Explaining Texts. A Lot Of 
 Glass     Of      Varying     Thickness. 
                                          
                                        
                                      
                          
                                      
                                        
                                          
 I Quickly Sneak Out, And Climb Into  The 
 Other   Building.    The   Contrast   Is 
 Overwhelming.   It   Must   Have   Stood 
 Derelict   For   A  Long  Time,  Windows 
 Broken,  Metallic  Trash  And  Pools  Of 
 Dark   Glass  All  Over  The  Floor.  No 
 Electric  Lights,  But  I Can See By The 
 Light That  Shines In Wherever The  Dark 
 Windows     Are    Missing    A    Pane. 
                                          
 However, The Greatest Difference Is  The 
 Higher Floors:  This  Building Has None. 
 It Is One Massive Hall,  Stretching Away 
 Infinitely  Above Me. Somewhere Up There 
 Is  Some  Great  Iron  Latticework, From 
 Where Chains  Are Suspended,  And  Parts 
 Of  Machinery  Has  Been  Falling  Down. 
                                          
 There Is, In  The  Middle  Of  The Great 
 Hall,  A  Thin  Spiral  Staircase   That 
 Leads  Up There. I Sneak Over There, And 
 Take A  Few Reluctant Steps.  After Just 
 A Revolution,  I  Notice That  For  Each 
 Step  The  Building Starts  To Glow, The 
 Bricks  Turning  A  Dark  Red, And  Then 
 Orange, All  The  Piled  Up Debree Being 
 Lit From Behind.                         
                                          
 I  Stop Ready To  Run Down  And Out, But 
 There'S Someone  Else  On The  Staircase 
 With   Me   Now,  Pressed   Close.  He'S 
 Looking Like  Me, Short  Hair  And  Thin 
 Arms,  But  With  Ears From Some Animal, 
 And More  Disturbingly, Completely  Made 
 Of Dark Liquid glass.                    
                                          
                                        
                                      
                          
                                      
                                        
                                          
 My  Fear Holds  Me  In  Place  While  He 
 Starts Operating Levers  And  Dials  Set 
 In  The Center Of The Staircase. Slowly, 
 It  Starts  Spinning,  Circling Upwards. 
 It'S   An  Elevator!  I  Start  To   Run 
 Downwards,  But  Now  The   Liquid   Boy 
 Creature  Grabs  Hold Of  Me.  I  Try To 
 Shake Him Off,  But He'S Too Strong, And 
 Pulls    Me   Back   Up   Beside    Him. 
                                          
 This  Time, I Turn Angry  Instead.  What 
 The  Hell?  Who Is This Guy, Acting Like 
 This? I Reach Out  My Free Arm  And Slam 
 A  Random   Lever.  Some  Metal  Bar  Is 
 Suddenly  Released  Between Us,  Hitting 
 Him On  The Arm, Forcing  My  Release. I 
 Shove Him Off Of  Me, And He Falls  Into 
 The    Levers,    Messing    Them    Up. 
 Immediately,  A   Thin  Rusty  Chainmail 
 Curtain Is  Dropped  Around Me. But  The 
 Elevator  Also  Speeds Up Significantly. 
                                          
 The   Walls  Are  Flaring  Now,  Yellow, 
 White, Almost Blue. I Close My Eyes  And 
 Curl  Into  A Ball. But Then, The  Glass 
 Boy  Screams,   A  Piercing  Sound  That 
 Forces My Eyes Back Open.  I Watch As He 
 Becomes Too  Liquid,  His  Body  Pooling 
 Down  In  His Now  Massive Tail, And The 
 Tip Of It Suddenly Breaks  Of In A Glass 
 Drop  That  Falls  Toward  The   Factory 
 Floor.                                   
                                          
 He'S Crawling  On  The Stairs, Unable To 
 Keep His  Body  Upright. Can'T Reach The 
 Levers,  Claws  At  My  Chainmail  Cage, 
 While  His  Body  Is  Turning Into  Dark 
 Pearls. Finally, He'S Lost Too  Much  Of 
 Himself  And  The Scream  Is  Cut Short. 
 The   Last   Of    Him    Rains    Down. 
                                          
 I Still  Can'T  Reach  The  Levers  From 
 Within  My Cage. Looking  Up, I  Try  To 
 Make Out  The Ceiling,  But  It'S All  A 
 Whirling Sea Of Colours. Below  Me Glows 
 The  Hellfire Of  The Factory Walls, But 
 Very  Faint.  I  Sit Down, Curl Back Up, 
 Become Still.                            
                                          
                                        
                                      
                          
                                      
                                        
                                          
 A  Large Clunk  Shakes  My Entire  Body, 
 And Snaps  Me  Back  Into  Reality.  I'M 
 Back  At  The  Factory  Floor,  But  The 
 Stairs   Are   Still  Moving   Slightly, 
 Clicking In Place, Carrying Me  The Last 
 Few  Centimeters.  I  Came  From  Below, 
 Somehow.  The  Chainmail  Is  Retracted, 
 And   I  Slowly   Dismount  The  Stairs. 
                                          
 Shaking And Crying, I  Make My Way  Over 
 The Factory  Floor, Wading  Through Dark 
 Glass Marbles. A  Quick Glance Down, And 
 I  See  There'S  Something  Faint Inside 
 Them.    Embryos?   Are   These    Eggs? 
                                          
 I   Shudder,   And   Climb   Back   Out.